We have had our own similar food scandal here in Sweden very recently – companies selling organic meat has cheated too, using a lot of non-organic meat, but selling it as organic…
hopefully the meat is “real meat” anyway, even if those animals were treated with antibiotic, not given good food, not treated in a good way… it’s really really bad in tricking people to eat something “plastic”!

China has been producing fake rice for at least four years, and it is still on the market. Singapore media reported that this “rice” is produced with potatoes, sweet potatoes and – believe it or not – poisonous plastic. It is shaped like regular rice grains but remains hard after cooking and can cause serious health issues.

The rice in question China’s Wuchang rice. The rice is very popular because the real Wuchang rice is famous for its smell, and it costs more for its quality (almost double the price), according to Blue Ocean Network (BON) TV report, a popular English Channel in China.

But many consumers still don’t know what they’re getting.

An undercover journalist has found out that in order to make the fake rice, a small amount of real Wuchang rice is mixed with plastic rice, sprayed with a fragrance to replicate the original rice smell, packaged and shipped to stores across China. It was reported that annually 800,000 tons of real Wuchang rice is produced, yet 10 million tons of “Wuchang” rice is sold – whether plastic or another type of rice; more than 9 million tons of it is fake.

The truth about this synthetic product started coming to light when the rice distributors started selling it outside China. It has been reported to have been found in India, Indonesia, Vietnam, and Singapore.
The National Food Authority (NFA) of the Republic of the Philippines is currently investigating a few reports of plastic rice sold in their country and is reportedly using a handheld “spectroscopy device” to detect the rice, which may cause serious health problems if too much is consumed.

So far no reports of plastic rice in the United States have surfaced, and most countries’ officials have dismissed it as a major concern. But this is yet another example of why it’s so important to stay connected to the sources of our food and to buy from people and companies we really trust.

Gluten—an elastic protein that has the ability to trap air, much like a balloon—is formed when two important proteins in wheat flour, glutenin and gliadin, bond together in the presence of water. Whether we are trying to create more of it in rustic bread or pizza dough or working to limit its development for tender baked goods like cakes and muffins, there’s no denying gluten’s importance. But beyond our conceptual understanding of it, is there a more tangible way to see and feel gluten? We ran a simple experiment to find out.

We made two basic doughs by mixing flour and water in a food processor until a smooth ball formed. For one dough we used cake flour, which contains between 6 and 8 percent protein, and for the other one we used bread flour, which usually runs from 12 to 14 percent protein. After making the doughs, we placed each in a mesh strainer and massaged them under running water to wash away all of the starch. Once the water ran clear (a sign that the starch was gone), we were left with two piles of essentially pure gluten. The differences in the appearance and texture of the two doughs were a dramatic confirmation of the profound impact of gluten.

America’s Test Kitchen is a real 2,500 square foot test kitchen located just outside of Boston that is home to more than three dozen full-time cooks and product testers. Our mission is simple: to develop the absolute best recipes for all of your favorite foods. To do this, we test each recipe 30, 40, sometimes as many as 70 times, until we arrive at the combination of ingredients, technique, temperature, cooking time, and equipment that yields the best, most-foolproof recipe.

Each week, the cast of America’s Test Kitchen brings the recipes, testings, and tastings from Cook’s Illustrated magazine to life on our public television series. With more than 2 million viewers per episode, we are the most-watched cooking show on public television.http://www.americastestkitchen.com

Much of the mainstream American food supply is laden with unhealthy additives, artificial flavorings, coloring, dyes, preservatives, hormones, genetically modified organisms (GMOs), and toxins. Not everyone agrees that GMOs have been proven harmful to humans, which is why the food chains listed here were selected specifically because they are responsible for a wide variety of health violations—the GMOs and their concealment from public knowledge are included for informational purposes.

As with all things, I urge you to read with your head on a swivel, adjusting your worldview based on new information.

#1: ConAgra Foods

ConAgra—whose brands include Hunt’s, Healthy Choice, Marie Callender’s, Orville Redenbacher, Slim Jim, Reddi-wip, Egg Beaters, Hebrew National, P. F. Chang’s, and Bertolli—labels many of their products under the confidence-inspiring statement of “made with all natural ingredients.” Their slogan, “Making the food you love,” is equally charming and disingenuous. Unless you contextualize them in a world of Orwellian doublespeak, these statements are the antithesis of truth. ConAgra was found guilty of “health code violations and bacterial contaminations at its food processing facilities, which have endangered consumers and in some cases been linked to deaths.” They’ve also concealed the use of GMOs in their products and practice unethical factory-farm sourcing.

#2: General Mills

Trisodium Phosphate (also known as TSP) is an additive and flavor enhancer found in thousands of frozen and processed foods, including kids’ cereals. It also happens to be an ingredient that was used in industrial cleaners—that is, until the EPA declared it unsafe for human exposure. Still, that doesn’t stop General Mills from using it. It’s okay, though, because GM states: “In our food products we use very small amounts [of TSP]”. Phew! Only a small amount of poison, thank God!

Up until just this year, General Mills’ foods also used BHT, or butylated hydroxytoluene, which animal tests have proven to be toxic.

General Mills has also come under fire for the widespread use of GMOs in nearly all of its foods. The company actively lobbies against any required labeling of GMO ingredients and it spreads disinformation concerning the safety of GMOs.

#3: Kraft Foods

There’s a reason why Kraft’s Mac N’ Cheese has such a beautifully golden hue to it: it’s the artificial coloring agent Yellow No. 6, which has been linked to hyperactivity, asthma, skin conditions and even cancer. In 2013, Kraft bowed to pressure and removed the artificial coloring, but tens of thousands of people have already consumed their products. Kraft also hides the presence of GMOs in their foods while actively fighting against regulations to require the labeling of these potentially dangerous ingredients. And, of course, their highly processed, pre-packaged products contain high amounts of fat, sugar and sodium.

Oh, and one last thing: as of March 18th, 2015, Kraft was in the process of recalling 6.5 million boxes of Mac N’ Cheese because some of them contained fragments of metal.

#4: Heinz

Heinz recently lost a lawsuit over false advertising. They’ve been busy lying to the public by labeling products made from GMOs as all natural. Whether you tolerate GMOs in your food or not, the fact is that this company has a proven track record of lying to the public.

Furthermore, Heinz products contain the following ingredients: tomato concentrate made from non-organic tomatoes, distilled vinegar, high fructose corn syrup (HFCS), corn syrup, salt, and variety of spices and flavorings. Each squirt of that classic ketchup contains pesticides, HFCS (a neurotoxin), a particularly unhealthy type of sugar, and table salt, which dehydrates the body and depletes minerals.

You don’t have to stop eating ketchup—just switch to a healthy organic brand. The same goes for all of these foods.

#5: Campbell’s Soup Company

Is it a prerequisite for success that all large food companies must actively lie to their customers? Campbell’s soup, forever emblazoned in our minds by Andy Warhol’s iconic prints, has been a staple in most American homes for decades. Unfortunately, Campbell’s has been sued for hiding the presence of GMOs and for labeling foods as low-sodium when they contain as much salt as regular products. The average cup of Campbell’s soup contains a staggering 850mg of sodium. Unless that’s your only major meal of the day, consuming it means you’re risking heart attacks, diabetes and high blood pressure.

Just as importantly, if not more so, is the fact that for many decades, Campbell’s has lined its epoxy-resin cans with the toxic chemical, bisphenol A (BPA). “BPA has been linked in lab studies to breast and prostate cancer, infertility, early puberty in girls, type-2 diabetes, obesity, and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder,” according to Breastcancerfund.org. Only recently did the company finally bow to pressure and phase BPA out of its production.

#6: Coca-Cola

Does this really surprise anyone? By this point, you should be aware of the myriad health problems that Coca Cola and Diet Coca Cola cause, but sometimes it’s helpful to break it down to the specifics. Coca Cola has over a half dozen chemical additives that are detrimental to your health: E150D, a food coloring agent; E952, or Sodium Cyclamate, a synthetic sugar substitute that was actually banned by the FDA in 1969 and then inexplicably reinstated by WHO a decade later; E950, or Acesulfame Potassium, which is 200 times sweeter than sugar, very addictive, and is bad for the cardiovascular and nervous system; E951, or aspartame, a sugar substitute that has been linked to brain tumors, MS (Multiple Sclerosis), epilepsy, Graves’ disease, chronic fatigue, Alzheimer’s, diabetes, mental deficiency and tuberculosis; E338, or Orthophosphoric Acid, which can cause irritation of the skin and eyes; and E211, or Sodium Benzoate, a compound that, according to one study, damages human DNA.

#7: Nestlé

Nestlé is one of three companies using GMOs in their infant formula. Okay, so maybe you want to trust corporate-paid scientists about the safety of GMOs— but Nestlé also has the additional track record of using traces of the industrial poison melamine. For context, this is the same chemical that sickened at least 50,000 Chinese infants in 2008.

Purina, which is owned by Nestlé, also had a lawsuit filed against it for the use of propylene glycol, a known animal toxin and component of automotive antifreeze in its dog food. After over 3,000 dogs became ill, Purina responded on its website that propylene glycol is “an FDA-approved food additive that is also in human foods like salad dressing and cake mix.” How reassuring.

#8: Kellogg’s

Kellogg’s has been the target of a nationwide ban over GMOs after spending over $1,012,552 on pro-GMO, anti-organic media propaganda in California, Washington, and Oregon in order to defeat GMO labeling initiatives. Did the nationwide ban impact Kellogg’s corporate ethos? Unfortunately, the company actually doubled down and its products now contain 100% GMO corn that contains traces of glyphosate and BT toxins.

#9: PepsiCo

Following the lead of Coca Cola, Pepsi vowed to changed its formula after a California law mandated a carcinogen warning for soft drinks. Nevertheless, the vast majority of Pepsi still contains 4-methylimidazole, or 4-Mel, which has been linked to cancer in humans.

Another major opponent of GMO labeling laws, PepsiCo invests millions in celebrity endorsements to make sure you don’t equate their products with obesity, diabetes or cancer. A 2014 study has shown Pepsi has even more sugar fructose than previously believed.

#10: Hershey’s

Along with many other chocolate companies, Hershey’s was recently found to have unsafe levels of lead—which can lead to neurological damage and learning disabilities—as well as cadmium, which can cause reproductive harm and damage to the kidneys, liver, and bones.

Additionally, Hershey’s has spent more than a million dollars to make sure you can’t be certain whether or not the candies you are eating contain GMOs. Their most popular treats contain many modified ingredients, a fact they obviously hope stays unknown.

I have posted a lot about sugar here, and here’s another post 🙂 this movie is broadcasted in Sweden right now, you can see the movie here (Swedish Television svt), you can see it until the 20th of August:

Damon Gameau embarks on a unique experiment to document the effects of a high sugar diet on a healthy body, consuming only foods that are commonly perceived as ‘healthy’. Through this entertaining and informative journey, Damon highlights some of the issues that plague the sugar industry, and where sugar lurks on supermarket shelves. THAT SUGAR FILM will forever change the way you think about ‘healthy’ food.

And there’s a lot of experts in the movie, I tried to find some youtube-links with those experts as well:

Gary Taubes

In this week’s video, I had the pleasure of interviewing medical researcher and journalist Gary Taubes. Notably, Gary wrote both “Why We Get Fat” and “Good Calories/Bad Calories” and is a pioneer of the idea that it isn’t fat that makes us fat, but simple sugars and carbohydrates. Join us for an in-depth discussion on nutrition, obesity, health, and more.

Jean-Marc Schwarz

Fructose Restriction for 10 Days Reduces Liver Fat in Obese Latino and African American Children

Do you wonder if you are a sugar junkie? Here are some great clues…and a great solution.

Michael Moss

Every year, the average American eats thirty-three pounds of cheese and seventy pounds of sugar. Every day, we ingest 8,500 milligrams of salt, double the recommended amount, almost none of which comes from the shakers on our table. It comes from processed food, an industry that hauls in $1 trillion in annual sales. In Salt Sugar Fat, Pulitzer Prize–winning investigative reporter Michael Moss shows how we ended up here.

This year’s Michael & Susan Dell Lectureship in Child Health was proud to feature world renowned nutrition and obesity expert, Dr. Barry Popkin. Distinguished Professor of Nutrition at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and author of The World is Fat: The Fads, Trends, Policies, and Products That Are Fattening the Human Race, Dr. Popkin is a top researcher and thought leader in obesity dynamics, global food systems and nutrition policies and programs. Dr. Popkin’s lecture is titled, “The World Is Fat: Child Obesity and Food System Dynamics.”

What is being called the farmacy, a hospital in Houston, Texas is importing organic food from a local co-op. People will use prescriptions for discounts at an in-hospital market.

Doctor Garth Davis and Kristina Carillo-Bucaram are combining their entreprenurial forces to bring food as the medicine

Kristina’s company, Rawfully Organic, is a Houston based food co-op. The company imports fruits and vegetables from farmers and supplies them to the hospital. The doctor will write a prescription for the patient and also can prescribe fruits and vegetables. The patient will take the prescription to the farmacy and can use it as cash.

Dr. Garth Davis and FullyRaw Kristina are teaming up to “prescribe” organic fruits and vegetables from Rawfully Organic to Texas hospital patients and have them covered by health insurance policies! We are revolutionizing the way nutrition is used, creating REAL health care! http://youtu.be/8YkIMqRkxvg

The FARMACY Project begins on September 24th at http://www.rawfullyorganic.com. NOTE: You must receive a prescription from Memorial Hermann Hospital Doctors to receive insurance coverage for your box of fruits and vegetables.